GrogHeads Forum

History, Reference, Research, and GrogTalk => Military (and other) History => Topic started by: LongBlade on November 12, 2012, 03:29:16 PM

Title: NSA and Supercomputers Circa 1995
Post by: LongBlade on November 12, 2012, 03:29:16 PM
This is an interesting article on a recently declassified article that discusses the state of supercomputers in 1995. The NSA felt that Cray Research was integral to their continued success. And they were wrong. At least in this one report.

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/11/top-secret-nsa-report/
Title: Re: NSA and Supercomputers Circa 1995
Post by: FarAway Sooner on November 15, 2012, 10:46:57 AM
Yup.  It's funny how college students never talk about going to the VAXLab any more, either.

I was actually working in the technology field (if only for a few years) in the mid-90s.  While there some futurists sketching out lots of different scenarios in 1995, I don't think anybody had any idea where the real future of computing was going.  They knew a big chunk of it was headed to the distributed processing world, but what that meant, how it would be used, and what else would be left were questions that nobody had any clear answers to.
Title: Re: NSA and Supercomputers Circa 1995
Post by: LongBlade on November 15, 2012, 10:52:27 AM
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on November 15, 2012, 10:46:57 AM
Yup.  It's funny how college students never talk about going to the VAXLab any more, either.

I was actually working in the technology field (if only for a few years) in the mid-90s.  While there some futurists sketching out lots of different scenarios in 1995, I don't think anybody had any idea where the real future of computing was going.  They knew a big chunk of it was headed to the distributed processing world, but what that meant, how it would be used, and what else would be left were questions that nobody had any clear answers to.

And now it looks like we're headed back toward centralized processing.
Title: Re: NSA and Supercomputers Circa 1995
Post by: Silent Disapproval Robot on November 15, 2012, 01:53:50 PM
It's 2012.  When am I going to get my hovercar, damn it?!
Title: Re: NSA and Supercomputers Circa 1995
Post by: GDS_Starfury on November 17, 2012, 03:07:15 PM
hovercars are sooo 2010.
jet packs man!  jet packs!
Title: Re: NSA and Supercomputers Circa 1995
Post by: Staggerwing on November 17, 2012, 04:48:33 PM
Pfft. Wearable site-to-site matter transporters are the way to go.